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Duke Health System CEO appointed to head Institute of Medicine

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Duke University Health SystemDr. Victor J. Dzau, the current president and CEO of Duke University Health System

Dr. Victor J. Dzau, the current president and CEO of Duke University Health System and chancellor for health affairs at Duke University, has been appointed to a six-year term as the next president of the Institute of Medicine (IOM), effective July 1, 2014. Dr. Dzau will take over the lead role from Dr. Harvey Fineberg, who served in the position for twelve years.

Dr. Dzau began his career in medicine as a cardiologist, having previously taught at Harvard Medical School and served as chair of the department of medicine. He also worked at Brigham and Womens Hospital as the director of research. His ongoing award-winning research has been key in the development of cardiovascular drugs, as well as techniques to repair tissue damage from heart attacks and heart disease using stem cell therapies.

Dr. Eugene Braunwald, often called the father of modern cardiology and a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, has known Dr. Dzau for more than 40 years and worked with him at many different stages of his career at Brigham and Womens Hospital and Partners Healthcare. In an interview Wednesday he called the upcoming IOM president a force of nature.

He is what I would call a talented, quadruple threat. A great physician, inspiring teacher, and a very creative scientist, said Dr. Braunwald, who trained Dzau when he was a resident at Brigham and Womens and continued to work with him on cardiovascular research when Dr. Dzau became chief resident, and then faculty at Harvard Medical School. The quadruple threat is that he also sees the larger picture. Hes interested in areas of medicine that most academic physicians have stayed away from. His work and ideas in global and community-based medicine have left an important heritage at each institution where hes worked.

After nearly a decade at Duke, Dr. Dzaus leadership has been credited with the launch of a number of innovative and global-focused medical institutions, including the Duke-National University of Signapore Graduate Medical School, Duke Global Health Institute, Duke Institute for Health Innovation, Duke Cancer Institute, as well as the Duke Translational Medicine Institute.

Im deeply honored to become the next president of the IOM and recognize the critically important role that the IOM will have in improving the health of the nation at a time of extraordinary evolution in biomedical research and health care delivery, Dzau said in a press release from Duke University Health System. The explosion of new data resources, novel technologies and breathtaking research advances make this the most promising time in history for driving innovations that will improve health care delivery, outcomes and quality.

As the health sciences extension of the National Academy of Sciences, the Institute of Medicine is known for its leadership in advancing health sciences and objective medical research nationally as a nonprofit academic research organization. The outgoing IOM president, Dr. Harvey Fineberg (previously Dean of the Harvard School of Public Health) has lead the nonprofit for twelve years. His focus and research have centered around public health policy and an improvement in informed medical decision making.

This leaves the medical community wondering what Dr. Dzau will bring to the Institute.

As a former chairman of the Association of Academic Health Centers (AAHC), Dr. Dzau advocated for the innovative transition of academic medical and health centers into institutions that can survive the rapid transitions in the health care industry. In a recent article in the New England Journal of Medicine, Dr. Dzau discusses the uncertain future of academic medical centers. He argues that industry pressures and cost restraints from the Affordable Care Act limit the research and education-based missions of teaching hospitals.

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Duke Health System CEO appointed to head Institute of Medicine

Duke Health chief to head Institute of Medicine

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Durham, N.C. Dr. Victor Dzau, who serves as president and chief executive of Duke University Health System, has been named as the next president of the Institute of Medicine, which plays a lead role in advising Congress on health matters.

Dzau, whose research was key in the development of modern cardiovascular drugs, also serves as chancellor of health affairs for Duke University and is a professor in the School of Medicine. He will leave his various roles at the university on June 30.

In a staff memo announcing the appointment, Duke University leaders described Dzau as a visionary who has helped transform the field of health care. In his 10 years at Duke, Dzau has been responsible for a number of new initiatives, including the Duke Cancer Institute, and has led a system-wide conversion of clinical information systems into a single, streamlined digital health record for each patient.

Dzau is also credited with having a progressive approach to faculty development and being the driving force behind Dukes global outreach in the field of medicine. He established the Duke-National University of Singapore Graduate Medical School.

Under Victors leadership, Duke Medicines reputation as a national and global leader in academic medicine has continued to grow, the memo stated. Duke Medicine has consistently ranked among the top academic health centers in the world, and has been recognized for exceptional patient-centered care, cutting edge basic and clinical research, innovative care delivery, and improving community and global health.

Dzau will join the Institute of Medicine on July 1, succeeding current president Harvey Fineberg.

Established in 1970, the Institute of Medicine is the health arm of the National Academy of Sciences. It is a nonprofit, independent organization that provides scientific analysis and recommendations on health issues.

Dzau said he's convinced providing affordable health care to every American is not only doable, it will happen.

"We have a goal. We need a good road map to get there, and that's what the journey is about the next few years," he said.

Dzau said he was 10 when he first dreamed of being a doctor. His family was fleeing communist China at the time.

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Duke Health chief to head Institute of Medicine

Married to Medicine Season 2 Welcomes New Cast Members Lisa Nicole Cloud and Dr. Heavenly Kimes: Watch the Drama …

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Sounds like these ladies are going to need CPR after season 2 of Married to Medicine premieres on Bravo. The reality show that focuses on doctors and the wives of doctors in the Atlanta, Georgia area has brought back most of its original cast, including Queen Bee Mariah Huq alongside her former bestie Quad Webb-Lunceford, Toya Bush-Harris, Dr. Jacqueline Walters, and Dr. Simone Whitmore. But they're about to be joined by entrepreneur Lisa Nicole Cloud and Dr. Heavenly Kimes, making for an even more drama-packed season.

PHOTOS: Real Housewives bikini bodies

Dr. Heavenly is both a dentist and married to a doctor, and has been described as "larger than life." The other newbie, Lisa Nicole, is a successful entrepreneur and fashion designer.

Toya Bush Harris, Heavenly Kimes, Lisa Nicole Cloud, Jacqueline Walters, Quad Webb Lunceford, Simone Whitmore, Mariah Huq Credit: Alex Martinez/Bravo

Their additions will bring the show "sass, class, and one of the most explosive -- and brutally honest -- confrontations yet," Bravo promises in a press release.

PHOTOS: Hellish Housewives romances

From new homes to adopting children to repairing shattered friendships, these women of the medical community will have their work cut out for them in season 2.

Married to Medicine's premiere in March 2013 brought in more than 1.9 million viewers, which was the network's highest-rated non-franchise/non-spinoff freshman series since 2003. In a world of Real Housewives spin offs, the fresh new show provides a whole new source of chaos for reality TV-happy fans.

PHOTOS: Before they were Real Housewives

Married to Medicine season 2 premieres Sunday, April 6 at 9 p.m. ET on Bravo. Watch the trailer now!

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Married to Medicine Season 2 Welcomes New Cast Members Lisa Nicole Cloud and Dr. Heavenly Kimes: Watch the Drama ...

Study Outlines Ways to Boost Staff Buy-in to PCMH

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When a family medicine practice adopts the patient-centered medical home (PCMH) as a care model, that practice often undergoes change that impacts every member of its staff. That's according to recently published research that sought to understand and illustrate how practices undergoing this transformation achieved buy-in and full engagement among all staff members.

"Transitioning to a PCMH from more traditional models is not as simple as it may seem at face value," said William Bleser, M.S.P.H., research assistant for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's Aligning Forces for Quality project and the Center for Health Care and Policy Research at Pennsylvania State University in University Park and corresponding author of the study. "It does involve comprehensive organizational change, and part of that entails changing the behavior and habits of people working in the medical practice."

From physicians to front office staff, employees who buy into the PCMH model are more motivated to ensure a successful transformation, so how do practices make sure staff members are on board? Bleser and his fellow researchers identified 13 strategies that can be used to obtain staff buy-in to PCMH transformation. The tactics are outlined in "Strategies for Achieving Whole-Practice Engagement and Buy-in to the Patient-Centered Medical Home,"(annfammed.org) published in the January/February issue of Annals of Family Medicine.

Researchers analyzed 136 individual interviews and transcripts from seven focus groups conducted with personnel from 20 primary care practices in Pennsylvania, all of which had participated in a state-led, multipayer-supported PCMH initiative that focused on chronic care. Clinicians, medical assistants, administrators, care managers, nurses, patient educators, front office personnel and other staff members participated in the interviews. Researchers evaluated the responses to determine key strategies that promote buy-in among all members of the practice team.

The strategies fell into three domains:

"A prerequisite of transforming, from the leadership perspective, is having all the leadership on board, in sync and putting out consistent clear communication -- what we call an internal campaign," Bleser said.

In fact, seven of the 13 strategies focused on communication. Respondents reported a desire to have access to practice leadership for support and feedback. Frequent meetings during the first year of implementation provided opportunities for education, feedback and benchmarking.

In particular, study respondents said that technical guidance to help the practice meet the goals of a PCMH was useful. For example, respondents appreciated training on how to track chronic disease in patients and conduct motivational interviewing.

Furthermore, when educating staff about the PCMH model, respondents specifically said it was useful to hear why the practice was making the transition, Bleser explained. It's important for practice leaders to highlight the benefits to the practice in terms of patient experiences, staff experiences and, if applicable, increased revenue, he noted.

Charismatic champions can help move practices toward PCMH recognition, agreed Peter Cronholm, M.D., assistant professor and director of the Mixed Methods Research Lab in the Department of Family Medicine and Community Health at the University of Pennsylvania's Perelman School of Medicine, where much of his research has focused on the PCMH. "What I've seen across multiple practices is the need to have the right people on the bus," he said.

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Study Outlines Ways to Boost Staff Buy-in to PCMH

What is Organic Treatment? The Benefits of Using Organic Medicine For Eczema – Video

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What is Organic Treatment? The Benefits of Using Organic Medicine For Eczema
Learn How To Get Rid Of Eczema FOREVER | Link Here: CLICK: http://www.VanishEczema.net The need to know how to get rid of eczema often arises for those peopl...

By: Elena Cupova

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What is Organic Treatment? The Benefits of Using Organic Medicine For Eczema - Video

January 5 speech to Pattaya City Expat Club about anti-aging medicine – Part 2 – Video

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January 5 speech to Pattaya City Expat Club about anti-aging medicine - Part 2
Tired of waiting for a magic potion that will make you look and feel 20 years younger? Hang on. Scientists have discovered what causes the body to age and ar...

By: Dr Olivier Meyer

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January 5 speech to Pattaya City Expat Club about anti-aging medicine - Part 2 - Video

Sports Medicine Experts Say Female Athlete Triad Syndrome a Growing Concern

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Newswise When an adolescent female patient comes to Nationwide Childrens Hospitals Sports Medicine clinic, not only are these young women treated for their sports-related injury, but their sports medicine physician will also ask if theyve missed any periods, because of a growing concern among female athletes.

Anastasia Fischer, MD, a physician in Sports Medicine at Nationwide Childrens, says that is because female athlete triad syndrome is more prevalent than previously realized. The female athlete triad has three interrelated components: disordered eating low energy availability (often caused by not eating appropriately), dysmenorrhea (change in a girl's period), and low bone mineral density.

Regan, a high-school track and cross-country athlete from Columbus, Ohio, said she didnt realize how serious the symptoms she was experiencing were until she suffered a stress fracture. The sports medicine team at Nationwide Childrens helped her realize that this injury, and her loss of bone density, was due to the fact that she needed several hundred more calories a day than she realized because of how many she burns as a busy high school athlete.

Many girls are so active they need 3,500 calories a day because they are competing at a high-level, said Dr. Fischer. Some girls who have this syndrome do have serious eating disorders, but most do not. Rather, most adolescents just do not realize how important eating the appropriate amount of calories and proper nutrition is for their athletic performance and general wellbeing. Girls underestimate that food is fuel.

Dr. Fischer, also a faculty member with The Ohio State University College of Medicine, says the triad is a continuum and when it is broken down, you can see how the three elements are interrelated and that many girls fall along this scale. She suggests this might not just be an athlete problem, but an adolescent American problem. New research is even showing that early hormonal detection could help these adolescent females even before they start missing periods, when they could first be at risk for problems the female athlete triad.

It may be uncomfortable for a young female athlete to let her coach, or even her parent, know that she is missing periods, said Dr. Fischer, so she is currently researching how school physicals, required to play school sports in the state of Ohio, could help address this problem early on.

Jessica Buschmann, RD, a dietitian in Sports Medicine at Nationwide Childrens, consults with female athlete triad patients like Regan when they are first diagnosed. She sees not only female athletes who suffer from the female athlete triad who benefit in their sport from being lean, like rowing and track, but also patients in aesthetic sports where athletes are partly judged by their appearance, wear more revealing attire, or may be judged, like gymnastics and dance.

Buschmanns advice to the female adolescents she works with is that they should be tracking their menstrual cycle, which can now be done easily and privately using an app for their smartphone. Girls should talk to their parent or doctor if they are going more than 35 days in between periods, skipping occasional periods, if their periods have stopped, or if they are 15 years old and have not yet experienced a menstrual cycle. By eating meals with their children, parents can assess their attitudes about eating. All athletes should have a nutrition plan that consists of getting enough calories throughout the day.

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Sports Medicine Experts Say Female Athlete Triad Syndrome a Growing Concern

Annals of Internal Medicine tip sheet for Feb. 18, 2014

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PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

17-Feb-2014

Contact: Megan Hanks mhanks@acponline.org 215-351-2656 American College of Physicians

1. Aortic valve replacement improves function but may not improve quality of life

Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) improves functional status but may not improve overall quality of life, according to an article being published in Annals of Internal Medicine. Aortic stenosis (AS) is the most common valvular heart disease in developing countries and it affects up to 3 percent of adults older than 75. In recent years, TAVR has emerged as an alternative treatment to surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR) for high-risk or inoperable patients with symptomatic severe AS. Researchers reviewed 62 published studies to evaluate the changes in functional status and quality of life after TAVR. The research suggested that TAVR improved symptoms, physical function, and disease-specific measures of quality of life compared with conservative treatment. However, the benefits in psychological dimension and general health measures were often small and inconsistent, which may be an important consideration for older patients looking to improve quality of remaining life.

Note: The URL will go live at 5:00 p.m. on Monday, February 17 and can be included in news stories. For an embargoed PDF, please contact Megan Hanks or Angela Collom. To interview an author, please contact Kelly Lawman at klawman@bidmc.harvard.edu or 617-667-7305.

2. Rituximab may not benefit patients with primary Sjgren syndrome

Rituximab appears to offer no long term benefit to patients with primary Sjgren syndrome (pSS), according to an article published in Annals of Internal Medicine. pSS is a chronic autoimmune disorder characterized by dryness of the eyes and mouth. Up to half of patients have systemic involvement, with fatigue being a symptom associated with significant disability. No systemic treatment has been proved to significantly improve symptoms. Mounting evidence on B cell involvement in pSS suggests that B-cell depletion could be an effective treatment for pSS. The CD20 antigen, a transmembrane protein found on pre-B and mature B cells, is the most widely studied target for achieving B-cell depletion. Rituximab is an anti-CD20 antibody. Researchers conducted a multicenter, double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized trial to evaluate the efficacy and harms of rituximab in adults with recent-onset or systemic pSS. They found that rituximab given in two infusions over two weeks alleviated some symptoms, particularly fatigue, early in the trial but did not alleviate symptoms or disease activity at 24 months. More infusion reactions occurred with rituximab than placebo. The data do not support use of rituximab for treating pSS.

Note: The URL will go live at 5:00 p.m. on Monday, February 17 and can be included in news stories. For an embargoed PDF, please contact Megan Hanks or Angela Collom. Dr. Alain Saraux can be contacted directly at alain.saraux@chu-brest.fr.

3. Microsporidiosis a possible cause of infection in transplant patients

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Annals of Internal Medicine tip sheet for Feb. 18, 2014


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